China’s anti-corruption watchdog says 110,000 Communist Party officials faced disciplinary action last year
- The 2023 disciplinary drive targeted tens of thousands of officials who did not perform their duties properly as well as those who received money and gifts
- The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the party’s enforcement agency, warned officials to stick to the rules in the run-up to Lunar New Year
There is little sign of Beijing easing up on its latest crackdown more than a year after the party’s national congress in October 2022, when President Xi Jinping began an unprecedented third term as China’s paramount leader and filled most key positions with his loyalists.
Despite previously hailing an “overwhelming victory” against corruption, Xi told the CCDI’s annual planning event earlier this month that the party must continue to fight graft and other problems with “tenacity, perseverance and precision” to transcend “the historical cycle of rise and fall”.
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The CCDI said last year’s disciplinary cases covered breaches of the eight rules on official conduct that Xi laid down soon after taking over as head of the party in late 2012.
These rules, enforced by the CCDI, are intended to ensure a thrifty and responsible working style for officials and cover everything from a ban on extravagant banquets and receptions to avoiding unnecessary meetings and red tape.
Of those punished, more than 41,000 officials fell foul of the watchdog for failing to carry out their duties properly by “failing to take responsibility” or “paying lip service” to their orders. The watchdog particularly highlighted failures to implement development or environmental protection policies – two of Xi’s main priorities.
A further 40,000 were punished for receiving expensive gifts, money or attending lavish meals and celebrations, while another 10,000 were reprimanded for issuing or receiving benefits without approval.
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“[We will] strengthen warnings and deterrents, and educate and guide party members and cadres so they will celebrate the festival in a clean manner,” it said.
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Deng Yuwen, a former deputy editor of Study Times, the official newspaper of the Central Party School where cadres are trained, said Xi had not let up on the anti-corruption crackdown because the disciplinary apparatus was his most powerful tool for forging a clean and efficient team to steer the country ahead.
“China’s party-state system does not allow any opposition parties that can keep the ruling party in check, and there is little media freedom too,” he said.
He said the “eight rules” discipline campaign began with a focus on curbing rampant extravagance among party officials, but it was now trying to ensure that policy priorities were implemented by turning the spotlight onto those who neglected their duties.
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“But Xi is backing up his harsh corruption crackdown with a tough official conduct rectification campaign to ensure no one can slack off. All have to get up and march in his direction.”
